


Morgan's Freddy-Bear

by curseofgrima



Series: Frederick and Morgan [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Young Morgan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-18 05:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7301497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curseofgrima/pseuds/curseofgrima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Robin gave a teddy bear to Morgan on his first birthday and named it Freddy-bear? Frederick is certainly not amused, but he would accept it for the sake of the little boy who loves to follow him around with the stuffed animal in toe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morgan's Freddy-Bear

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 日本語 available: [マークの"フレディ・ベア"(Translation of "Morgan's Freddy-Bear" by curseofgrima)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7874458) by [Yasumin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yasumin/pseuds/Yasumin)



"Bear!“ Morgan giggled at the stuffed animal being handed to him.

"Not just any bear, Morgan,” Robin smiled while shaking her finger at her son playfully, “this is Freddy-bear.”

Her husband, Frederick, turned at the sound of his embarrassing nickname with a scowl on his face. “Excuse me, Robin?”

"It’s my present to Morgan, a cute Freddy-bear,“ she giggled, along with her little son who joined in despite not understanding his father’s annoyance.

Frederick sighed, running a hand down his face and shaking his head. "Really? That ridiculous name out of any others you could have come up with?” He crossed his arms with a slight huff.

"Aww, come on, Frederick. It’s such a sweet name, and I knew it had to fit when I saw it in the store. You agree with me, don’t you, Morgan?“ Robin looked down with loving eyes as he hugged the teddy bear as big as he was with a smile gracing his face. He laughed joyfully at his mother and clapped when he noticed his father’s brow raised skeptically.

With a deep sigh, Frederick knelt down next to his son and ruffled his fluffy hair, his hand practically engulfing the top of his head. "If it makes you happy my little knight, I will surrender to your mother this time.” He tickled Morgan’s chin for a moment before standing upright again and picking the silver cover of a plate up to reveal a ravishing cake. “Happy first birthday, Morgan.”

Freddy the teddy sat right next to his owner as he demolished the cake with both hands, his parents laughing the entire time.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frederick really thought he had gotten over the stuffed animal’s name, but soon he began to hear it constantly. Before, only his wife had called him by the pet name in private, but now his son talked about nothing but his precious Freddy-bear to anyone who would listen. It was always, “where are you Freddy-bear?” when Morgan played hide-and-seek, or wild tales while playing pretend with the teddy by his side. Apparently the toy was quite the dashing knight, because Naga knew Morgan could tell story, upon story, upon stories about the bear’s amazing deeds. These were all thanks to his fantastic tactician, Morgan, of course (although hearing him attempt to say the word “tactician” always made Frederick’s day). It was adorable in its own way, but Frederick was growing tired of always looking over his shoulder when he heard someone asking Morgan about his dear Freddy-bear.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The older Morgan grew, the more often he heard the name. By now he was no longer embarrassed just by hearing it, but it did make him irritable when one of his subordinates would make a comment about “Freddy-bear.” A chill of sharp annoyance ran down his spine whenever he heard anyone but Robin use it, just in the off chance it may have been directed at him.

"I wish you had never given that godsforsaken name to his teddy bear,“ he told Robin one night while they were folding their clean clothes together.

"Really? I love it. I get to hear you grumble and say ‘teddy bear’ more than I ever thought I would.” She gave him a cheeky grin and winked at his frustrated glare. “Oh, come on, he adores it. He thinks it’s big, tough, and fantastic just like his Papa. You know, one day I went to work on his reading with him and he was cleaning his room. I asked him why, since normally you have to go and tell him to clear all the crumpled paper and drawings off his desk, but he said that 'Freddy-bear’ told him to.”

Frederick avoided the look on his wife’s face in order to hide his pout. After folding one of his white shirts, his shoulders relaxed and he rubbed the back of his neck. He had to get used to the nickname sooner or later, and he did admit that how much Morgan loved it because it made him think of his father was adoring, but he was still on the fence about it.

"You have to admit it is very cute, Freddy-bear.“

Frederick let a breath out through his nose that was a cross between a sigh and a hum. "Yes, it is, but that is exactly why I do not enjoy being called as such. I am a grown man, not a teddy bear.”

"A gruff bear with a secret heart full of fluff.“

"Fluff?” He asked with an offended expression.

"You knitted matching gloves for the Shepherds, and you take care of Chrom and Lissa the same way you do Morgan. Morgan is five years old!“ Robin poked him in the side playfully, laughing as he moved away and frowned at her. She advanced forward again with both hands, but he caught them by each wrist and swung her onto the bed.

"I do not find this to be very funny,” he grumbled, staring down at her.

"Well, I do,“ Robin leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his nose, "Freddy-bear.”

He huffed in impatience before giving in to her teasing once more. “Bears cannot fold clothes,” he told her as he reached for one of her unfolded shirts, then threw it onto her face. “You finish the rest. I shall start on supper.”

This time it was Robin who huffed to herself.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night it was Robin’s turn to tuck Morgan in so that Frederick could finish some of his extra duties he insisted had to be done for his lord and lady to sleep peacefully. Normally, he would stop by for just a moment so that he could tell his son goodnight at least, but this time he stopped at the door when he heard Morgan sniffling to his mother.

“I-it had b-big red eyes and six wings, and took up the whole sky!” He cried in Robin’s lap, “It kept talking to m-me and telling me to do things.”

“What kind of things?” There was an underlying sense of alarm in Robin’s tone that Morgan had never heard before, but that Frederick understood all too well.

“U-uh…” Morgan touched his head with a confused expression. “I don’t know. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but it was really scary. I don’t wanna see it again.”

Brushing his bangs out of his face, Robin titled his chin up so that she could see his eyes. “I understand how scary it is, Morgan. I used to have bad dreams too.”

“Really?” He asked with a sniffle.

“Yes. Sometimes I still do, but you know why I am not scared anymore?” Morgan shook his head at her, his eyes questioning. She pulled out his teddy bear from behind her. “Because I have a big, strong Freddy-bear to watch over me, just like you do.”

Morgan grabbed his bear and held him close, as if he could hug away the fear. “Just like Papa…”

Robin smiled and hummed to her son.

Behind the door frame, Frederick’s heart beat with so much warmth he felt his eyes sting.

 

“Morgan,” Frederick called as his son was eating the breakfast he had made.

“Yes, Papa?” Morgan looked up from his plate with a mouth full of eggs, quickly closing his mouth and swallowing them when his father gave him a stern look.

“I have something for y—” Frederick breathed in before correcting himself, “For Freddy-bear.”

“What is it? What is it?!” Morgan bounced in his seat, pulling the stuffed animal up from his seat and handing it to his father. He stared with excitement as Frederick pulled a little brown ribbon out of his pocket and tied it around the bear’s neck exactly the way he wore his own. “You match!” Morgan pointed.

“Look closer.” Frederick pulled one side of the bow out to showcase the light-blue stitching that read “Freddy-bear.”

Morgan gasped, “That’s amazing, Papa! I love it!” He squeezed his bear gleefully, looking up at his father with big eyes. “Thank you.”

Frederick did not even notice the way his wife smiled warmly at the expression on his face.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the years went by, wherever Morgan went, his teddy was sure to be right beside him. On marvelous adventures with Owain and Cynthia, through wyvern rides in the sky with Gerome, to being an audience at his and Lucina’s sword matches. Freddy-bear was always right by his side, until he grew a little too old for teddys, and got into situations a little too exciting for one old bear. Although Robin wished Morgan could remain her little boy and carry his teddy bear around forever, she came to understand that he was growing up to look more like his father with every passing day.

She was not the only one who felt the echo of loneliness in her chest. Frederick often found the stuffed toy catching his eye and stared at it whenever he passed Morgan’s room. Sometimes he would take it down from its perch on Morgan’s shelf and have short conversations with it.

“It appears we are both growing old, you and I,” he would say with a nostalgic sigh as he recalled all the times he held Morgan in his arms, gave him rides on his shoulders, taught him how to use a lance, and watched him play chess with his mother. His son was an adult now, and he was proud of him, but he secretly missed the days when he and the bear in his hands were needed to protect his little knight. “Your stitches have come loose here, and the dust makes it seem as if you are beginning to go grey as I am,” he laughed softly to himself.

Morgan smiled when he noticed the fixed bear on his shelf looking good as new.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Long past the dog days of summer, Frederick finally began to slow down in his age. Robin kept close to him, always making sure he did not overwork himself in his refusal to retire from Chrom and Lissa’s side. They all knew he loved his work for his lord and his kingdom more than anything, so Robin could not completely break him of his habits that were fit for his younger days. They both continued to have meetings with Chrom about Ylisse’s state, Lucina now more than old enough to stand by his side and examine the way things worked. Many of the children had started their own families, Morgan included. Frederick and Robin couldn’t have been more proud.

 

Frederick grew weaker rather than better the more years flew by. One harsh winter, events took a turn for the worst. He grew so ill he could barely leave his bed, Robin fighting him from doing his work every step of the way. She stayed close by his side no matter what, but she often commented that maybe the only person who could cure someone this sick was Frederick himself. Lissa could do nothing for him, it was simply the weakness of old age striking him at a vulnerable moment.

Morgan kept his Freddy-bear with him often during those cold days. Sometimes he left it sitting beside his mother at night when she stayed up caring for his father. She held it close to her when she fell into restless sleep. When it wasn’t with her, he once again took it wherever he went, allowing his own child to carry it around when he could not. It was like a lucky charm. Maybe if he held onto it hard enough his father wouldn’t slip away.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spring finally came.

But, Frederick was gone.

Morgan cried, his mother and his little Freddy-bear held tight against him.

The last time he had talked to his father, it had seemed as if nothing was wrong—like any other day. He had called him his little knight once again and patted his grandchild’s head, Robin chiding him when he picked them up and lifted them into the air.

How could he be gone? Wasn’t he Chrom’s Great Knight? Wasn’t he a protector? Unbeatable, surmounting the odds with his lord, lady, and tactician at his side? He never wanted to rest, never complained about the pain. Libra said his father’s illness was probably worse than he had ever let anyone know.

A small Freddy-bear watched over him that night, the last comfort he would know of his beloved father.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many, many years later a father with blue-and-white knight armor would give a little bear to his son, telling the tale of a group of Shepherds started by a tactician, an exalt, a lord, a princess, and a knight who loved their kingdom more than anything. The son would ask if the legends about the dragon they fought were true, and the father would make a rare smile as he told him of their brave ancestors who had served the Exalted bloodline for generations. As the boy listened, he would squeeze the teddy bear close to his chest proudly.

A bowtie wrapped around its neck read, “Freddy-bear.”


End file.
